Harry's Wall Balbriggan

Created by renowned Irish artist John Kindness, this work celebrates the life and legacy of the legendary local cyclist Richard Henry ‘Harry’ Reynolds (1874–1940), also known as ‘The Balbriggan Flyer’. This commission, located on Harry Reynolds Road Roundabout (Hampton Woods), was funded by the National Transport Authority under the Per Cent for Art Scheme from Fingal County Council’s, Harry Reynolds Road Pedestrian & Cycle Route Project and delivered in collaboration with the Our Balbriggan Regeneration Programme.

Artist Mr. Kindness was invited by Fingal County Council Arts Office to research ideas for an unique public artwork for the evolving town of Balbriggan. With assistance from Fingal County Council Operations Team, the stone construction began in autumn 2026, followed by the community engagement and artwork creation by Mr. Kindness. His concepts were warmly received by the community during several site visits and presentations and, kindly, during the installation itself with offers of tea and treats.

Mr. Kindness worked with stonemason Jack Cripps to modify a new section of stonewall with recesses filled with ceramic inclusions. He worked with ceramics expert, Gus Mabelson, to create the fired ceramic tiles and cast fossil-effect panels which feature various stories from the life and times of Balbriggan during Harry’s celebrated career and his enduring presence in the town. The style and color of the tile treatment mirror John’s signature placemaking work in Belfast, The Big Fish, which uses similar panels to tell the story and history of the docklands and the Titanic and continues to attract attention today.

Cllr Tom O'Leary, Mayor of Fingal noted: “It is important that local towns like Balbriggan have the opportunity to uniquely celebrate their local histories and stories through artworks of this calibre. This work will encourage greater engagement with the new cycling routes and will help to animate the area for residents and visitors alike.”

John Kindness reflected, “a successful public artwork draws attention from a distance and excites upon closer inspection.”

The artwork will be launched June 2026.

Naming the road

The overall scheme provides a 3km well-lit pedestrian and cycle-link route between Drogheda Street and Hamilton Road in Balbriggan, serving several local school campuses and offering a safe cycling and walking route to local shops, childcare facilities and community amenities. A significant step forward in enhancing connectivity and promoting active travel in Balbriggan. The overall route was officially opened on 28 March 2025 by Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Brian McDonagh, in the presence of Minister for Transport and Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, Darragh O’Brien TD.

The project offers enhanced accessibility and encourages children and their parents, older people, and less experienced cyclists to choose active travel as their main form of transport. It was decided at a council meeting that the road taking in the Fingal Bay Business Park and sweeps right through to the Garda Station on Drogheda St should be named after cyclist Harry Reynolds. By highlighting Reynolds’ importance to both locals and visitors using the cycle path, the work is a local point of interest and contributes to the town’s enhancement programme.

About the Artist

John Kindness is a nationally renowned Irish artist and is a significant figure in Fingal County Council’s Public Art & Municipal Art Collection. Several of his much-loved key art works are proudly displayed in County Hall, Swords, including sculptural works Howling Dogs and The Shoe Dog, as well as 2D works and prints of Charles Coote and George Washington. His work is frequently featured on literary publications, and he was the subject of a recent retrospective at The Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin.

Caroline Cowley Deputy Arts Officer for Public Art in Fingal shared, “John brings so much experience and generosity to the process of developing a work like this - from sharing beautiful sketches to genuinely listening to observations from the local community. We are very grateful that he will also deliver workshops to show the community how the work is made, as well as a masterclass for Balbriggan artists on his practice. We are so excited to introduce all of these elements in the realisation of this work.”

Artist Statement:

John Kindness

Although everybody in Balbriggan knows Harry Reynolds Road, few people will know much about the man it was named for. While it is not the artist’s job to document a person’s life, an artist can produce something that will create an image in people’s minds - and maybe encourage them to find out more.

The traditional portrait, if it is well observed, does this, and in some ways what I have designed is a kind of portrait of Harry Reynolds. There will be some images taken from photographic records of Harry on his bike. Those who do know of him will associate him with his cycling triumphs, but there was also Harry the operatic singer, the powerful swimmer, the close friend of Oliver Gogarty. He appears in numerous press cuttings - as a champion cyclist, a champion of Irish independence, a hero in a drowning incident, and in a more prosaic appearance in a police court (for cycling without lights).

This all began with the suggestion of a roundabout sculpture, but when I met with community members who were driving the project, we all agreed it was an inaccessible location. I wanted to create something more intimate - something that would bring people up close so they could examine the details.

Harry’s Wall breaks into an existing wall with a traditional stone-built section that will act as an understated memorial to Reynolds. From a distance, specks of different colours will be seen among the stones, and on closer inspection these will turn out to be a variety of ceramic elements - in terracotta, blue and white stoneware, and low-relief tiles.

Wall Tile References

Cycle Race, blue on white. This is an unusual race from Harry’s period where a three-person bike is included.
Harry Rescue, Terra Cotta. Harry and Oliver St. John Gogarty were friends and fellow athletes. They were strong swimmers and once rescued a man from the waves in Balbriggan Bay.
Fossil piece, black on white. This is one of several ‘Jokers’ in the pack; based on fossil bearing limestone it is a fake fossil of bicycle parts.
Police Cases, black on white. Among the more serious crimes listed, Harry is in court for ‘riding without lights’.
Advert, bike lamp, black on ‘parchment’ An ad from ‘Cycling’ magazine 1896, the year of Harry’s Copenhagen triumph.
Harry Racing Train, blue on white. Harry was known for his training routine of racing the steam train from Balbriggan to Skerries. He always won.
World Championships 1, black on white. Extract from ‘Cycling’ magazine 1896 announcing Ireland’s participation in the World Championships at the Ordrup Velodrome in Copenhagen.
World Championships 2, black on white Extract from ‘Cycling’ magazine 1896 when Harry won the World Championships Amateur mile at the Ordrup Velodrome in Copenhagen.
Studio Bike, sepia on white. It seems to have been quite common for studio photographers to have a stationary bicycle with a painted background set up for shots of this kind.
Harry Reynolds obituary, black on white From the Irish Press 23rd July 1940.
The Harry Reynolds Memorial trophy, blue on white, an annual race in Balbriggan was organised to commemorate Harry’s achievements. ‘The Harry Reynolds Memorial Challenge Cup’ was awarded annually from 1941 to 2014.
Harry at the Palace, ‘What a Dog’, black on white. Aside from his sporting life Harry was a fine singer; this was one of his many stage appearances.
Ordrup Podium, green jersey, black and green on white. On winning the World championship in Copenhagen, Harry is known to have rejected the flying of the British Union flag and the playing of that national anthem. He is said to have offered a green flag as his emblem and asked the band to play an Irish tune. No photographic record of this moment survives, but this image comes from old footage of the Ordrup velodrome. Although it is not actually Harry, I have given this recipient a green jersey to allude to the story.
Harry Sprinter, blue on white. This French postcard describes Harry as a ‘Sprinter Anglais’, so I have made an obvious correction to ‘Irlandais’. Having been snubbed by the English cycling fraternity, being associated with the UK was always a bone of contention for him.
Advert Cycle Shoes, black on ‘parchment’ An ad from ‘Cycling’ magazine 1896, the year of Harry’s Copenhagen triumph. There seems to have been just as much cycling merchandise then as there is now.
Ordrup Velodrome, black on white. This is the Ordrup Velodrome in Copenhagen where Harry won the World Championship in 1896.
Plaque marking site of Harry’s house, blue on white. You can still see this plaque in central Balbriggan, but the house no longer exists.
Palace Concert Poster, blue on white. Illustration by John Kindess, “The illustration is mine and I do not know if Harry was ever portrayed on a playbill, but the concert was a real event from his singing days.
Harry & Dunlop, black on white. Sports sponsorship is nothing new, and Dunlop tyres were heavily promoted to aspiring champions. Even the ‘Racing News’ in Cycling magazine gave them a plug.
Fossil Piece, black on white. See also no. 3. Another fake fossil.
Harry, Grand Concert, Balbriggan, blue on white Harry on stage again, this time in the Town Hall Balbriggan.
Bicycle Knot Work Pattern, blue on white This is me having fun, speculating on what Celtic knot work designers might have done with the bicycle.
Adverts for Water & Oil, black on ‘parchment’. Another ad from ‘Cycling’ magazine exploiting the popularity of the sport. Published in 1896, the year of Harry’s Copenhagen win.
Cartoon, Singer & Pianist, black on white. This is a cartoon from Harry’s period which I have edited slightly to make the singer look more like a young Harry. There was not room for the whole caption, but the woman is teasing the singer about his lack of courage when confronted by a policeman for riding without lights.
Signed photo of Harry on bike, sepia. Another studio shot, this one was signed by Harry.
Maker Credits tile on the back of the wall, black on white.